


Forging a Path Through Life

by YorkandDelta



Series: Fakes and Forgeries [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake AH Crew, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Insecurity, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Injuries, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-03-29 16:11:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13930614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YorkandDelta/pseuds/YorkandDelta
Summary: Jeremy just wants to study art. But after a series of bad decisions he is forced to join a shitty gang as a forger.When Jeremy is forced to take care of the gang's hostage, the Golden Boy of the Fake AH Crew, he is given the opportunity to leave his shitty gang behind.Is this another bad decision or is Jeremy's life about to get a lot better?





	1. Priming the Canvas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only chapter where bad stuff happens, but it isn't actually all that bad.

Poor decisions had lead to the hell Jeremy is living in now. When they were _Jeremy’s_ poor decisions and he didn’t have anyone else to blame, he was resigned to it. But now that someone else’s poor decision threatened to completely ruin -- or end-- his life, he was less willing to take it lying down…

 

It all started in high school. Most problems do, only usually they go away when you graduate. Maybe for other people the decision to take art and gymnastics wouldn’t have been a big deal, but in his school it was definitely not a good choice. See, people make _assumptions_ about boys who like art. And boys who dress up in leotards. And Jeremy did both, so could he really blame the boys who picked on him? “Words can never hurt you” _my ass_. No, the real bad decision was to fight back. To show them how “manly” he was by sticking up for himself. He got into fights, got suspended, came back to school, repeat. He got a reputation with the teachers. And the bullies? They never even got a warning because they just said the hurtful things, they never actually laid a finger against Jeremy. Eventually he just stopped coming to class.

 

Maybe the problems didn’t stop when he graduated because technically he never graduated.

 

But Jeremy didn’t want to just be a high-school drop out. And his art was getting really good. He read in a textbook from the library that back in the studios of Michelangelo and the other greats the apprentices would learn their trade by copying their masters. So every day (because with no school and no job he had the time) Jeremy would go to the free art gallery and just sketch. He looked online and would copy what he saw as closely as he could. But he wanted a teacher and the internet and libraries weren’t cutting it.

 

His second bad idea was using his art skills to get himself into a prestigious art school. Not just with his portfolio, he forged his high-school transcript and diploma with marks high enough not just to get accepted, but to win a hefty scholarship.

 

Bad decision three was paying a hacker to add the transcript to his school’s database so that he could do the online application. He thought it would be a one-time deal and he could get his life on track. Too bad that isn’t what happened.

 

He won the scholarship, and his first year of school was fantastic! He learned so much and for the first time he was with like-minded peers who he loved to hang out with. It was his dream come true!

 

Halfway through his first semester of second year the hacker got back in touch with him. His gang needed some fake IDs and could Jeremy please do them a favour? Well one favour turned into two which turned into weekly forging cheques and other paperwork. Jeremy barely had time for his homework, let alone his social life. When he tried to back out shit really hit the fan. Some of the crew muscle came around to Jeremy’s tiny apartment and told him in no uncertain terms that if Jeremy didn’t do what he was told then he would be exposed to his school as having faked records. It was blackmail pure and simple, but Jeremy had no escape. He somehow managed to finish the year, but his marks were so low that he lost the scholarship.

 

With no way to afford classes and his apartment, and no other options, Jeremy joined the gang full time. He moved into one of the Vagos’s smaller bases. A few guys lived there as well and Jeremy knew they had instructions to watch him so that he wouldn’t make a run for it. His job was mostly faking cheques and helping with the money laundering. Sometimes he was used to give the guys alibis for the night of a crime. The most fun was when he was asked to fake passports and driver’s licenses. He didn’t have the material to make new ones, but he could alter the stolen ones the muggers brought back. Jeremy wasn’t proud of his life, but he hoped he would soon be able to afford enough to get away.

 

A shitty life, but mostly Jeremy’s fault. If he had just ignored the bullies, if he had tried to finish his high school degree legitimately, if he never got involved with the gang in the first place… Jeremy’s “what ifs” kept him up at night and made him miserable. But that was all bearable in comparison to the whopping bad idea that just waltzed through the doors of the base.

 

One of Jeremy’s “coworkers” had bagged a Fake. Got the jump on him stumbling down the street last night after partying and drinking. And now they are going to be hiding the man _here_. Everyone knew the Fakes protected their own and were bound to come after their crew member as soon as they could, but the bosses of the Vagos believed that they wouldn’t be able to track him to this base since it was mostly used for business. Which meant that tied up in one of the rooms was a ticking time bomb. Jeremy was not at all convinced that the Fakes weren’t going to storm the base at any second and kill everyone present, himself included. What an absolutely shittastic way to end a turd of a life, getting mowed down by a mini-gun because his blackmailers decided to mess with one of the most dangerous crews in the city. Amazing.

 

***

 

Everyone had gathered in the tiny kitchen. Their boss, Charlie, explained the plan for the coming weeks. There were normally about four people who lived in this office building, including Jeremy, but now there were about twenty people all squeezed around the room.

 

“Alright assholes. Here’s the deal. We’ve managed to get a hold of Ramsey’s precious Golden Boy.” Cheers and table thumping erupted from the thugs. “We’ve gotta make sure the Fakes don’t come snooping around here or else they'll burn the place to the ground. So all of you shitheads better keep normal routines and anyone who’s known to be working for us won’t be seen coming or going out of the building. Meanwhile, we are going to let the Fakes know we have their precious hacker. We’ll tell ‘em that if any of us are killed or any of our stuff is wrecked we’ll kill Free. We’re gonna negotiate with them to get control of the air strip and bunker out in the desert, and if they agree we give Free back. But here is the thing, once we do we won’t have a bargaining chip anymore. So the idiot has to be in one piece. We don’t keep our side of the deal? We’ll be slaughtered. Ramsey prides himself on being a man of his word, so we keep ours and we’re in the clear. That means none of you get to break him, well, more than he already is. Slap him around a bit, give him a bruise or two, fine. But he has to leave alive and in one piece when we’re done. There is no way he’ll be giving us any info on the Fakes anyway. Do I make myself clear?”

 

Charlie glanced around the room and gave everyone a scowl. The thugs nodded and Jeremy just tried to make himself disappear.

 

“Good,” Charlie barked out. “Tommy here is going to be in charge for as long as our little guest is here, so make sure you listen to him.”

 

And with that he and his bodyguards left. Fifteen people remained, most of them none too happy to hear they were essentially on house arrest and couldn’t even take out their anger on their hostage. With grumbles and complaints most of the meatheads made their way into the living room to fight over the TV. Some started badgering Tony about food and one trudged downstairs where he would take the first shift on guard duty, Free was being kept in a storage room in the basement.

 

Jeremy slipped up the stairs to the top floor. He had done the math and realised that with all the extra people there would not be enough beds in the building. He didn’t kid himself with the idea that he would get to keep his room so he grabbed his pillow, a blanket, and anything he didn’t want the guards to touch. He didn’t have many personal belongings, so he just crammed his junk into his pillowcase. He decided he would sleep under his desk in his office but he wanted the chance to make himself comfortable while he could. Let the guards fight over blankets and pillows and beds. He needed to slip back through the kitchen and then the living room to get to the office spaces. They were in the front of the building and Jeremy had claimed one of the two with a window, telling the gang he needed sunlight to be able to make his forgeries believable.

 

He figured he could get past everyone in the two rooms without being noticed because nobody really paid him much attention anyway. But Tommy was still in the kitchen.

 

“Hey, you! Drooly right?”

 

“Uh, Dooley sir.”

 

“Whatever. Put that shit down, grab that bowl and follow me.”

 

Jeremy decided to test his luck and hurried into the office space to put his stuff there. He didn’t want his few belongings stolen. He got back to the kitchen, picked up a bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal and followed Tommy down the stairs.

 

“God knows why, but we have to keep this fucking cunt alive and I sure as hell ain’t feedin’im.” Tommy explained as he made his way down the stairs. “You are going to be in charge of the food, both bringing it to him and buying it for us. Seems like you’re the only one here the fucken Fakes won’t recognize.

 

His boss lead him past the “computer repair shop” on the first floor that disguised the building as a legitimate business and into the basement. The basement was full of boxes. Jeremy didn’t know what was in them, and he wasn’t really curious to find out. Some of the boxes had been turned into a table and chair for the already bored looking guard. The guard nodded at Tommy and stood up to open the door to the inner room.

 

Inside there was absolutely nothing in the room except a man lying on his front on the floor. Jeremy could see how his arms were bound behind his back. His wrists were chained to the elbows, above the bent joint so that there was no way of slipping the tight metal off. The position couldn’t have been comfortable for the man’s shoulders. Tommy went up to him and kicked him onto his back. The man let out a cry of pain at the treatment. His boss then put his foot down on the man’s shin and Jeremy could see their hostage shudder with pain.

 

“Broke his legs so he won’t be getting far. Put that food down, we wouldn’t want him to starve to death now would we?” The man’s eyes shot to Jeremy and he couldn’t help but be struck by how green they were. The man, Free, didn’t even look that hateful or angry and as he looked at Jeremy something calculating came into them.

 

“Uh, where?” Jeremy stammered. He didn’t see a table or anything.

 

“Christ, kid! Just on the fucking floor! He’s a bitch so he may as well eat like one!” Tommy grabbed the bowl and practically dropped it by his feet, spilling most of the little amount that was in there.

 

With his little display of temper over Tommy stormed out of the room. He didn’t seem happy about playing babysitter for a bunch of guards. He probably knew how much trouble they could make when they started to get cabin fever and didn’t want the responsibility of reining them in. Jeremy shot an apologetic look to Free, who was staring at him with interest now, and hurried after his boss. The guard locked the door behind them.

 

***

 

Jeremy woke up very uncomfortable in his cramped space under the desk. The goons upstairs had kept him up by fighting over who got to sleep in beds and who was on the floor. He was thankful he had his pillow. He recognized that however bad his sleep was it could not have been better for the poor soul in the basement.

 

He went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. There really wasn’t much in there, he would need to go grocery shopping today since that was his job now. He put peanut butter on some toast and made the oatmeal for the captive. Tommy had made it clear that Free would be getting nothing but porridge twice a day while he was their prisoner. They wanted to keep him alive but not give him enough energy to escape. Jeremy found a hard lump of brown sugar in one of the cupboards and broke off a piece to add. No one actually likes plain oatmeal.

 

Since he was alone in the kitchen Jeremy grabbed some ice and wrapped it in paper towel. He hid it in his hoodie pocket and carried the meager meal downstairs.

 

The guard barely looked away from the movie playing on the tablet screen in front of him as he let Jeremy into the cell. As soon as he appeared in the doorway Gavin started talking, probably emboldened by the fact that there was no Tommy today.

 

“My crew will be here to bust me out, you know. Do you really want to be on their bad side when they do?” Jeremy carefully placed the bowl by Free’s head. He was on his back. It seemed like he was able to squirm around to eat some of the food yesterday. Jeremy finally got a good look at him, and boy did he look awful. Dried blood was caked onto the left side of his face and his nose looked broken. No one had been kind enough to splint his legs and Jeremy remembered enough of his own past injuries to know that must have been killer.

 

“Just let me go, and there will be no beef with you. We can all move past this, no worries.”

 

Jeremy cast a nervous glance to the door. The guard wasn’t in sight but he could probably still hear. Still staring at the door, he interrupted Free with a yell. “Shut the fuck up, you slut!” He slapped the back of his own hand to make it sound like he hit the man. Hopefully that would make him realize that Jeremy wasn’t a threat but that there was someone listening. He turned back around to see Free with that calculating look again. Before the guard could investigate why it was taking him so long Jeremy pulled out the two ice packs and lay them on the captive’s legs. Free let out a noise that was somewhere between pain and relief and Jeremy scooped up yesterday’s bowl and left the room.

 

“Givin’ ya trouble?” said the guard in a lazy, disinterested tone.

 

“Nah,” Jeremy replied. “Just runnin’ his mouth.”

 

“He is such a worthless whore. I would teach to shut his mouth if Charlie boy wouldn’t skin me alive.”

 

Jeremy didn’t like the look on this guard’s face. He thought his name might be Kenny or something. He wasn’t one of the regulars to stay in this building. He was big and had pale blonde hair and startlingly dark eyes for his complexion.

 

“Just don’t break him.” Is all Jeremy could think of replying. “I’m doing a food run later want anything specific?”

 

“Booze. Lots of it if we have to listen to that bitch’s whining.”

 

Jeremy ended up buying a case of beer and lots of frozen dinners and pizza. He didn’t think any of the thugs would turn out to be a great chef. He was surprised at the level of trust Tommy had for him. When he said he was going for food the man handed over $ 300 and keys to a car with only the request of getting the change and the receipt so he would know Jeremy wasn’t robbing him. Well, “request” might be a strong term. But he hadn’t sent anyone with Jeremy as a safeguard to make sure he didn’t run away. Jeremy did think about it, but with only three hundred dollars and a car that anyone of the gang would recognize he wouldn’t risk it.

 

When Jeremy went down to deliver the hostage’s evening meal he was meet with the stench of urine as soon as he opened the basement door.

 

“What the fuck?!”

 

“The dumb bitch of a hostage fucking pissed himself! I’ve had to fucking sit in this stinky ass room all afternoon! Fucking go get a bucket and clean it up!” It was a different guard but he looked furious. Jeremy left the food for the guard to bring in and ran to find a bucket and some cleaning supplies.

 

He entered the cell to see the guard had thrown Free’s food all over the floor. The man wouldn’t look up at him. His situation was designed to be humiliating so Jeremy couldn’t blame him. He knew the guard had retreated to the top of the stairs since he knew Jeremy was with the prisoner, so he decided he could afford to risk being a little kinder to the poor man.

 

“Hey...uh...My name is Jeremy. Would it be alright if I clean you up?”

 

Free just looked at him resentfully.

 

“Look, I’m gonna have to take your pants off to do this and I just want to know if that is ok.”

 

He turned his head away and sighed “Whatever you need to do.”

 

Carefully Jeremy removed the man’s soiled pants and underwear. He tried not to jostle the injured legs too much but there was no way to avoid it completely. Jeremy had brought two buckets so before he did anything else he asked, “Do you need to go again? I can help hold you over the bucket so you don’t have to go in your pants.” The man just nodded and as gently as he could Jeremy lifted him into a sitting position over the bucket.

 

It was a very intimate experience to say the least. Free was obviously mortified and uncomfortable but Jeremy tried to make it as painless a process as possible. Once he was done and cleaned up Jeremy carried him over to the wall to sit him up. He brought over the pair of his own sweatpants that he had thought to bring and dressed Free carefully. He also brought some kitchen utensils and his pillowcase which he ripped and used to splint the poor man’s legs. If he didn’t get surgery they would still heal wrong, but hopefully this would stop the pain for now. The ice in Jeremy’s hoodie pocket was pretty melted by the time he could rest it on the Golden Boy’s legs. He used one of the wet wipes he brought to help with the clean up and used it to rub the blood away from Free’s face.

 

The man smiled at him and Jeremy was struck with how attractive it was. He could see how this was Ramsey’s charmer if he managed to look this good while being treated so cruelly.

 

“Why are you being so nice to me, Jeremy?” Free’s normally accented voice was soft.

 

“I just don’t like what they’re doing to you. Don’t get me in trouble or one of the others will bring your food and you don’t want that.”

 

“No, I want you, Jeremy. If you help me I can tell Geoff all about you and he can protect you from these guys. They will come for me soon but a word from me and you’ll be safe.”

 

Yup. Charmer. Jeremy was absolutely charmed. “This is what I mean when I say don’t get me in trouble. If one of them hears you saying that then I’m toast.”

 

Jeremy moved to scrubbing the mess on the floor. He picked up the bowl which somehow wasn’t broken and put the trail mix he had hidden in his pockets in it. It was supposed to make the oatmeal edible but now it was all of Free’s meal. He also added a gummy multi-vitamin to it. He had stolen them so they wouldn’t be on the grocery receipt. He didn’t want this dumb hostage getting sick from only eating porridge. He placed the bowl so that Free could reach it and grabbed the the soiled clothes and the buckets to leave.

 

“Thank you, lovely Jeremy.”

 

Jeremy didn’t turn around.

 

It became a routine. Jeremy would come around twice a day with a bowl and a bucket. He tried to sneak as many treats as he could to the hostage without being noticed. Gavin (Jeremy finally learned his first name) wouldn’t shut up. But at least now he would whisper his requests so the guards wouldn’t hear.

 

To Jeremy it was the best part of his day. The other men in the building were starting to grate on each other. Especially Kevin, as he learned the big blonde was called. Jeremy actually had the nerve to snap at him one day.

 

It went down like this. Towards the end of the first week of Gavin’s imprisonment Kevin and a few others were in the kitchen while Jeremy was getting Gavin’s dinner ready. Kevin was bitching about how bored he was getting and how he wanted so badly to get out. And then he said something that made Jeremy’s blood run cold.

 

“There is nothing to do here! I almost want to go and get some relief from the fucking slut downstairs. Use his mouth for something useful, if you know what I mean. We were told not to break him, not that we couldn’t have some fun with him.”

 

“What the fuck dude!” Jeremy spun around in disgust.

 

Kevin just laughed darkly. “Don’t get excited Drooly, I’m not a fucking faggot.”

 

That wasn’t why Jeremy was upset but if it kept that scumbag away from Gavin he would go with it.

 

That evening in his office Jeremy started a project. Gavin’s crew couldn’t find him or they would have come by now, but they weren’t giving up their base either. Jeremy had to act now if he wanted to save Gavin from the Vagos, and worse Kevin.

 

Jeremy drew a portrait of Gavin, as faithfully as he could. He added words to the top to make a poster.

 

“Hand-drawn professional portraits. Call for details. 555-3464. Call any time between 11pm and 5am.”

 

The next morning Jeremy brought the guard on duty an omelette so that he would be too busy eating to overhear anything. In whispers he asked Gavin for an address where he could leave his note.

 

Jeremy told everyone he was going to the liquor store as an excuse to leave the building that day. That brought a cheer from everyone and got Tommy open his wallet. He actually drove to the address Gavin had given him. It was to an apartment complex, one of the nicest in the city. He taped his sign to the telephone pole directly outside the front doors. Now he could only hope his plan worked.

 

When he got the call the gang members were still up and drunk. They were playing loud music and shouting. Jeremy hoped no one was going to be listening to him.

 

He answered the phone with a careful “Hello?”

 

A deep voice with a southern accent was on the other end. “Hallo there. Are you the artist who does portraits.”

 

“That’s me.”

 

“I’m not really interested in a portrait. More in the model you used. Where can I find him?”

 

A chorus of loud yelling erupted from the other room and then Jeremy heard banging on the office door. He was sure the person on the other end could hear it too. “Now isn’t really a good time to talk. Meet me in the alley behind the McDonalds at Bank and 5th tomorrow at 5pm.” Jeremy hung up the phone seconds before the party spilled into the offices. Jeremy put on a happy smile and joined the party. He needed these guys to trust him, at least for the next 24 hours.

 

Jeremy used a McDonalds run as an excuse to leave the house this time. People happily gave him their orders and he went off to meet what could be another huge mistake. A little past five found Jeremy walking around the restaurant. He noticed a shadow slip behind him as he turned the corner to the back. He saw a man with a brown jacket and curly brown hair smoking a cigarette beside the dumpster. Jeremy paused and a heavy hand came down on his shoulder, causing him to jump. “Follow me” the smoking man said, and lead the way farther into the twisting back alleys.

 

Jeremy recognized the man in the jacket as Mogar, he infamous arsonist and gunman. The gloved hand on his shoulder belonged to the terror of Los Santos, the Vagabond himself, mask and all. The two brought him to the back door of an abandoned building. There he came face to face with the Kingpin. Ramsey. Geoff, if Gavin could be believed.

 

“What’s your name kid?”

 

“Jeremy, sir!” God, did his voice just crack? Useless!

 

Geoff held up the picture Jeremy drew “This is a pretty picture. Do you know where he is or not?”

 

“Yes. The Vagos have him in the basement of the computer repair shop on Richmond St.”

 

“And he’s alive?”

 

“Yes, a little beat up. Both his legs are broken. But otherwise he’s fine!”

 

“Good to hear. And why are you telling us this?”

 

Jeremy was caught off guard. “Uhhh...I guess I thought you wanted to find him?”

 

“But what do you want out of this? How did you even find out where he is?”

 

“I guess I just didn’t want you to kill me? You would have found out eventually. The Vagos blackmailed me into joining them so I would be in the building if you stormed in and killed everyone. And I don’t want to die.”

 

“Won’t the Vagos kill you if you found out you betrayed them?”

 

“I...uh...I was hoping you might help me not get killed by them too?” God he hoped Gavin was right and a word from him would get Geoff on his side.

 

“So you give us the Golden boy and we give you protection? Deal?”

 

“Yes! Thank you!”

 

“So tell us about what we would find if we went on this rescue mission.”

 

And Jeremy explained the layout of the building. How you could get in through the back door, deal with the guard in the shop, head down the stairs, deal with the guard in the basement and reach Gavin. They could probably get him out with no one upstairs knowing if they were sneaky about it. Then they would have to go upstairs and sweep the building. Jeremy described the layout: kitchen, living room, work spaces on the second floor; Bedrooms on the third. Most of the people would be in the living room watching trash TV and drinking.

 

Geoff seemed pleased with the information. “Vagabond!” The skull mask snapped to attention. “You’re gonna escort Jeremy here back to the base. Together you get Gavin out. Once he’s clear the fun will begin. We’ll be waiting out back in the car.”

 

“What! Why do I have to go back?” Jeremy had planned on being nowhere near the base when things went down.

 

“If you think we are walking into that base of yours without knowing if it is a trap you can think again. Now move!”

 

Jeremy finally got the guts to look at the man in the mask. He saw shockingly blue eyes staring back at him. He gulped and explained, “I promised them McDonalds. Why don’t I get the food and use it to distract the guards. I’ve never killed anyone and I don’t want to mess it up so you’re gonna have to do it.” The man nodded and off they went.

 

Of course it wasn’t as easy as Jeremy hoped. One of the guards, Omar, was outside the back door smoking. The Vagabond just gave him a look and Jeremy took a deep breath and walked forward. Trusting the Vagabond to want to not fuck this up more than him.

 

“Hey dude! What are you doing out here? Charlie will kill you himself if any of the Fakes spots you.”

 

“Nah, they ain’t coming if they haven’t yet. This is a waste of everyone’s time. Is that my food?”

 

“Sure is pal! What did you order again?” Jeremy moved so that Omar would have to put his back to the mouth of the alley that the Vagabond would be coming down. “A big mac, right. Here it is! You probably also wanted fries right?” There he was, like a shadow creeping closer. “I can’t find the ketchup. It must have all gotten to the bottom. Hold on a sec…” And just like that a wire slipped around Omar’s throat. He didn’t have time to cry out or do much of anything before a knife came out and stabbed him in the neck. The body dropped to their feet and the Vagabond just said in his creepy deep voice “One down.”

 

Jeremy repeated the trick with the guard in the shop and the one in the basement. Once they were alone he told the Vagabond to keep watch on the stairs while he got Gavin. Jeremy searched the pockets of the guard on the ground and quickly found the key. He opened the door.

 

“Jeremy! You didn’t bring me any dinner!” Jeremy was always amazed at Gavin’s good spirits.

 

He chuckled and answered, “No I brought you something way better.” and lifted Gavin into a bridal carry. He was as gentle as he could be with Gavin’s still healing legs, but knowing the man would get help soon made him feel less guilty about the pain he was causing him now. “You’re gonna be a free man, Free!”

 

“Jeremy, you’re amazing! I’ll tell Geoff how wonderful you’ve been to me!”

 

“Yeah I’m really counting on that buddy. Sorry, I can’t do anything about your arms, the keys to the padlocks weren’t with the door key.” By this time they got to the top of the stairs.

 

“Ryan!” Gavin yelled and Jeremy was quick to shush him, but no one seemed to hear or come investigate. The Vagabond turned and came to where Gavin was leaning towards him in Jeremy's arms. He cupped his cheek and stroked his face. It was an oddly intimate moment. Jeremy felt like he was interrupting just by being there. “I told you I brought you something Gav.”

 

“You did Jeremy! Thank you.” His eyes were still locked with the Vagabond's. (Ryans?).

 

“Get to the car Gav. I’ll see you at home.”

 

“Oh, uh… Vagabond?" The blue eyes turned to him. "If you see a big blonde guy, fuck him up for me. Tommy with the dark hair and under bite is the leader though. You’ll get the most info out of him.”

 

“Noted. Get him safe.”

 

With that Jeremy left the building with Gavin in his arms. As promised a van was waiting outside. The doors opened as Jeremy got close and Gavin was pulled inside by what looked like a team of medics. A bunch of the Fakes jumped out, on their way to join what was sure to be a bloodbath in the Vagos’s base. The redheaded woman, Pattillo, guided Jeremy into the passenger seat of the van and drove them away. 

They drove to the bunker in the desert. Jeremy had heard the rumors, but had never seen it in real life. As the van descended on the giant elevator and the doors closed over his head, Jeremy wondered what he had gotten himself into. 


	2. Sketching an Outline

Jeremy was not locked in a room in the Fake’s base. He had been shown into a room, standard bed, table, lamp, and told there was a kitchen “over there” if he was hungry. Then he was left alone. No he wasn’t locked in the room, but there is no way he could get out.

 

The bunker was intimidating and impressive. There was a massive hydraulic elevator in the desert for Christ sake! And once they reached the bottom Jeremy was confronted by more luxury cars and bikes than you could find at an auto show. The facility itself was state of the art. All shiny and clean, it looked like a fancy government agency and not a crime lord’s underground bunker.

 

Gavin had been rushed off by medics. Jeremy assumed that somewhere in this complex was a full medical station, there had to be! Pattillo brought him to the room, told him about the kitchen and bathroom and left, probably to check on Gavin or the rest of the Fakes. Before she left she thanked him for bringing Gavin back. Jeremy couldn’t stammer out a “no problem” before she was gone.

 

Now Jeremy was alone. He couldn’t leave, not just because he didn’t know how to get to the surface, but also because if anyone from his old gang spotted him he would be very dead very quickly. Or very slowly, which honestly was a worse thought. The phrase “out of the frying pan and into the fire” popped into his mind. He had also left all of his stuff back at the Vagos’ base. All his art supplies, his ID (real and fake), his credit cards. He had even held onto some odds and ends from his life. Photos and things that had sentimental value. Now all of it would be going up in smoke or an explosion. He was feeling a little lost and he didn’t really have an appetite, or the courage to go by himself to the kitchen to make food, so even though it was very early he curled up on the bed and tried to sleep.

 

He was woken up to a loud banging on his door. Panicked, Jeremy fell out of bed and scrambled to the door. Opening it revealed a tall, muscular man absolutely covered in blood. The man’s face was twisted with rage but the blue eyes were unmistakable. Jeremy cowered backwards as the Vagabond stormed into the room.

 

“Did he fucking touch him?!”

 

“What?”

 

“That blonde son of a bitch! Did he. Touch. Gavin?”

 

“No! No, I don’t think so? He just said some shit. I don’t think he ever did anything.”

 

The Vagabond was breathing hard but Jeremy realized that he wasn’t the source of the anger. “Yeah, he talked some shit alright, right up until I shot his dick off. Didn’t say much after that.”

 

Jeremy paled and shuddered at the image. “As far as I know, none of the guards went in there with him after he was brought in. They weren’t allowed to rough him up too hard so they mostly sat in front of the TV and drank. Kevin was all talk. Don’t worry.”

 

The Vagabond dropped onto Jeremy’s bed and rubbed his forehead with his hands. He looked up at Jeremy through his lashes. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to -- us. You didn’t have to, and you put yourself in danger for him.”

 

“Well, I didn’t want to be there in the first place, and I didn’t want to stand by and watch what they did to Gavin, and well...I couldn’t leave him there.”

 

“You’re a good man. I don’t know what your plans are for after this, but I hope you are going to stick around.” Ryan stood and made to leave. “Whatever you do, remember that you made a lot of friends today. All of us will be on your side.” One last smile and the he disappeared down the hallway.

 

Jeremy couldn’t get back to sleep after that abrupt wake up. Some time later (it was probably a few hours but Jeremy didn’t really have a sense of time underground) there was a knock on his door, more subdued this time. Jeremy went to open it and saw Geoff Ramsey on the other side. Even though he didn’t have a particularly worrying expression, Jeremy was still very intimidated. He’d heard the rumours about the leader of the gang that controlled most of the city.

 

“There you are! Have a seat, kid” he said as he walked into the room. There was nowhere to sit but the bed, so that is where Jeremy ended up. Ramsey was leaning against the wall by the door, he would look casual but with his arms crossed he still looked intimidating.

 

“Gavin said you fed him Flintstones vitamins.”

 

That was not what Jeremy was expecting. “Um, yeah, I... did? I didn’t think he could live off of oatmeal and there was no way he could swallow the real ones because they didn’t give him water?”

 

Geoff scoffed. “Idiot can’t swallow pills at the best of times. He said you splinted his legs for him too. He just went into surgery. They’re gonna have to re-break his legs and deal with the mess his muscles have become after a week like that. His arms are in pretty rough shape too from being pulled behind him for that long. The physio is going to be rough. For us that is, we’ll have to listen to him whining.”

 

Jeremy could see the fondness in the crime lord, despite his words. The little smile gave away just how glad he was that Gavin would be _home_ and _healing_ and that he would put up with a lot more than whining to have it that way. He continued.

 

“I guess we have you to thank that he is in as good condition as he was. And for finding him when we did. That base wasn’t even on our radar. We were starting to panic.”

 

“I’m happy I could help.”

 

“Yeah. Why is that? How did a nice boy like you end up in the Vagos?”

 

“I umm…” Jeremy looked at Ramsey’s feet. “A few years ago I paid a hacker for a job. Putting some files I forged in a database.” Jeremy was _not_ going to give the Fakes any more details. Part of him still hoped to go back to college and he didn’t want to give them any blackmail material. “I guess he was already a part of or joined the Vagos, because not long after they started asking me to do some other forgeries. I got in way over my head and I was too afraid that they would get me in trouble for my work that I just did what they were asking. But I didn’t like it and when I saw what they were doing to Gavin I just...” he trailed off.

 

“It’s selfish of me, but I’m glad you were there. I really appreciate everything you did for him, Jeremy. I would never force you to do something you didn’t want, but for a while it won’t be safe for you to leave here. The Vagos will know someone sold them out, and if they see you it won’t be pretty. I would have offered this to you anyway, as part of our deal, but I would like you to stay here for a little while. We’re going to teach the Vagos a lesson, but until we wipe them out you should stay in one of our bases or or travel with one of our men. But Jeremy? As a personal thank you I want you to know that you have a place here, in this crew, if you want it. You have more than earned it. I know you said you didn’t like working with the Vagos but if you wanted to continue your fogery work we would pay you well. You could pick the jobs you wanted and you would be free to walk away at any time. No matter what you choose we have your back.”

 

Jeremy was flabbergasted. He stared at Geoff in shock, needing a minute to process everything he was saying.

 

“I’m just telling you now so that we’re clear. I don’t expect an answer until after you’ve seen how we work and you’ve thought it over. But please, I would prefer to know you are here and safe and not getting caught up in our turf war with the Vagos.”

 

“No! I mean, yes! I will absolutely stay!” Not like he had anywhere else to go, but he was touched by Geoff’s offer.

 

Geoff cracked a huge smile. “That’s what I like to hear! Are you hungry? It’s about time for breakfast. Oh, by the way, is this your stuff?” He pointed to a bag he must have dropped in the doorway. “We found it when we were going through the base. Figured you might want it.”

 

Jeremy opened the bag to see everything he had left behind in the office at the old base. His sketchbooks, his wallet, all the knick knacks.

 

“How -- how did you know this was mine?”

 

Geoff shrugged. “The art stuff was a clue. We knew you drew the poster afterall. But the IDs gave it away.” He smiled at Jeremy. “I’m going to have a shower then get something to eat. If you meet me in the kitchen I can show you where the med bay is. If you want.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll see you there.”

 

Jeremy was so touched that they thought of him and brought his stuff! He was glad to see his sketchbooks and art supplies especially. Now he would have something to do while he was at the Fake’s base instead of sitting around like an idiot. He also appreciated the clean clothes he got to change into. He realized how awkward it would have been to ask someone for a change of underwear. He even had his toothbrush! His had taken all of his toiletries out of the bathroom when he knew the thugs were going to be staying, and he was really glad of that now!

 

He got dressed and went to the bathroom he had seen last night and freshened up. It seemed like Geoff had a different bathroom to use, so Jeremy was free to use the shower himself. Feeling so much better he made his way to the kitchen for breakfast.

 

He was there before the Geoff, but sitting at the table was Mogar, who also looked freshly showered.

 

“Hey! Jeremy right? I’m Michael. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you helped us find Gavin. I hear you’ll be sticking around for a while. Don’t be shy about asking for stuff. There is plenty of food and shit and this place is pretty well stocked. Do you have a phone?

 

“Thanks, yeah I do.” He pulled it out. It was an old flip phone, generously given to him by the Vagos. Michael scoffed just looking at it.

 

“Well I guess we don’t have to worry about the GPS on that tracking us down. Ask Alfredo to set you up with something better. We rotate phones a lot so there is plenty to choose from.”

 

Michael was chatty. He was loud and he never really seemed to run out of things to say. Geoff joined them not long after and made himself and Jeremy an omelette. The two told him all about the crew. Gavin was right, a word from him and Jeremy was now trusted by the leader of a huge crime syndicate. He learned that Geoff had handed off most of the boring responsibilities of leading the crew to others so that he could focus on the things he enjoyed. He still made most of the decisions and his voice still carried weight, but he didn’t have to manage everyone’s business anymore. He didn’t pry into Jeremy’s life, or hound him about details on the Vagos. Jeremy felt that Geoff respected his privacy and wasn’t just using him for info on the rival gang.

 

When they were finished they loaded their dishes into the dishwasher and Geoff asked Jeremy if he would be interested in going to the medbay. Michael came along too even though he reminded them Gavin was still in surgery. On their way out Geoff grabbed two mugs of coffee.

 

“Do you know how long he’ll be in there?”

 

“Probably a while. It’s a complicated surgery.”

 

Jeremy didn’t know how he would ever find his way around the bunker. It was huge! There were only a few people in the halls. Jeremy was sure the structure could fit a lot more when needed.

 

They reached the med bay where they found Ryan waiting. Geoff handed him the second mug of coffee. There wasn’t much they could really do until Gavin came out. Ryan and Geoff chose to stick around but Michael insisted on showing Jeremy around the base.

 

Jeremy got a tour. He was really impressed by just how much space there was. And it was so bright you could forget you were underground. They did end up finding Alfredo. He was in charge of everything to do with their tech. The security, cameras, phones, laptops, you name it. He got Jeremy set up with a phone and told him to come back if he needed anything else.

 

Michael explained how even though there was probably a few people here at any given time, no one lived here permanently. People did have rooms though, and Michael convinced Jeremy to move his stuff into one of the larger ones. This one had a desk, dresser, chair, and ensuite bathroom, which would be much more comfortable while he was stuck here. Michael left him to get unpacked by himself since he had been up the night before dealing with the other gang and claimed he needed a nap.

 

With nothing better to do Jeremy started to sketch. No one came to check on him so around dinner time he made his way to the kitchen by himself. He was finishing his food when his new phone rang. Jumping out of his skin, he fumbled it to his ear.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Jeremy? This is Ryan. Gavin is up. The surgery went really well. He’s asking for you, if you want to come and see him?”

 

“Yeah! Absolutely! I’ll be right there, just give me a second.”

 

Jeremy did his best to retrace his steps from that morning. He managed to find the medbay after only getting turned around once.

 

Inside he saw Ryan and Pattillo sitting around one of the beds. Getting closer he was relieved to see Gavin sitting up and smiling.

 

“Hey pal! You’re looking good! I brought you a little something in case you were hungry.” Jeremy set the bowl down on a wheely table beside the bed.

 

“Is that smegging _porridge_ Jeremy?!” Gavin exclaimed. “Christ, if I never see porridge again it will be too soon.”

 

“I thought you liked when I brought you oatmeal, you ungrateful swine!”

 

Gavin giggled. “Yes my knight in shining armour, bringing me porridge and a bucket.” His head lolled to the side where Ryan was sitting. “Ryan, Jeremy made me shit in a bucket, Ryan.” The Vagabond just turned to Jeremy with a raised eyebrow. Jeremy’s face didn’t know if it should be turning white or blushing. “He was a right gentleman about wiping my arse too. Lovely Lil’ J.”

 

Beside them Pattillo just erupted with laughter. Wiping tears from her eyes she asked. “Oh my God. _Gavin_ , what did Andy _give you_?”

 

“The good stuff, Jack. I feel like I’m swimming in a cloud.”

 

Ryan stopped giving Jeremy a death glare and chuckled, squeezing Gavin’s hand where he held it in both of his. “Gav, do you remember what you wanted to ask Jeremy about?”

 

“Nope. I’m sure it was important. You ask him.”

 

With a fond sigh Ryan turned to Jeremy. “The crew is going to be in and out a lot for the next little while. We’re going to be spending all our time fighting back against the Vagos. Gavin was asking if you would like to keep him company whenever we’re gone. I know I would feel comfortable leaving him in such good hands, and the medics will be needed if anyone else comes home injured.”

 

“Of course, it would be my pleasure. And if you’re a good patient I’ll even bring you to a toilet instead of a bucket.”

 

“Jeremy! I’m going to be a patient patient Jeremy!”

 

“Make sure you don’t let him boss you around” warned Jack.

 

“Jack! I would never boss Jeremy!” Gavin’s eyes were drooping, showing that it wasn’t long before he would nod off.

 

“Jeremy, I need you to know that Gavin is absolutely going to boss you around. You do _not_ have to do _anything_ he says.” Jeremy laughed as Jack lead him from the room. Ryan stayed behind. Jeremy wondered if he had left all day.

 

Jack walked him back to his room, making sure he had everything he needed and was eating well. Jeremy was amazed at how welcoming everyone in the crew was being. Sure they were grateful about Gavin, but this sort of behaviour was habit, not spur of the moment. He could really see himself working happily here. Jack excused herself, she said they were going to attack one of the Vagos’ bases tonight and needed all hands on deck. Jeremy sketched for a while more and then went to bed.

 

The next morning Jeremy walked over to the medbay after breakfast. A few people stopped him to introduce themselves, but everyone had somewhere to be so they didn’t stay for long.

 

When he reached Gavin the man was already up. He was playing on his computer and he brightened significantly when he saw Jeremy.

 

“You came! I was hoping you would. I have good news! Andy said that I only have eight weeks until I can start putting weight on my legs again. He says I should make a full recovery. Do you play video games? I want to play Halo with someone.”

 

Jeremy learned a few things about Gavin on his first day of nurse duty:

  1. Gavin was either really, really good or really, really bad at video games. There was no inbetween. He seemed to enjoy them just as much regardless of how well he did.
  2. He was _curious_. He came up with some of the most bizarre questions Jeremy had ever heard, but he was also genuinely interested in finding out more about his new friend’s past and his preferences.
  3. Keeping him entertained and out of trouble was going to be much more difficult than Jeremy imagined.



 

It was the last point that Jeremy was worried about. He loved seeing Gavin in good spirits. His laugh was infectious. Jeremy had admired his smile before but now that he was out of danger it was even brighter. Jeremy knew he would have trouble listening to Jack and not letting Gavin boss him around. Jeremy was already wrapped around Gavin’s finger, doing anything to make the Brit point that smile at him again. He understood Jack’s warning a lot better now.

 

Around lunch time Gavin had attempted to convince Jeremy to help him into a wheelchair and roll him to the kitchen. He claimed he was tired of sitting around the sick bay and wanted to get out. Jeremy avoided the pout Gavin gave him by running off to get them some food. The whole time he worried about what Gavin would get up to while he was away. If he would attempt to get into the wheelchair by himself.

 

It was going to be a long eight weeks.

 

They were scrolling through Reddit when Ryan joined them. Gavin had told Jeremy that the raid on one of the smaller Vagos bases had gone well and that the guys were sleeping since they only got back to the bunker in the morning. Now Jeremy got the details from Ryan.

 

“It was the one where they keep all their weapons and arms. We did a lot of stakeouts while Gav was missing, so we know enough to go on the offensive right away. They have beefed up their security and are pulling a lot of their resources down to the docks. We are going to try to cut them off from getting any more stuff there and let them stew before hitting them at their main base. Hopefully this mess will be cleared up by the end of the month.”

 

Jeremy had left to go get them all dinner. He joked that Gavin must be getting sick of him and wanted to look at a different face. As he returned he saw Ryan leaning over Gavin. They were kissing in the relaxed, easy way that only long-term couples can. Suddenly the pieces clicked together in Jeremy’s head. _Ooooohhh, that explains… that makes a lot more sense._ Jeremy didn’t miss a beat. He came in and put the food on the little table. He caught the nervous (Gavin’s) and defiant (Ryan’s) looks he got, but he answered them with a smile and they fell back in an easy conversation while eating. During the meal Ryan started showing Gavin a few more little affections and when Jeremy didn’t react negatively he seemed to relax.

 

Ryan had to go to another planning session before the next attack on the Vagos, but before he left he offered to teach Jeremy how to shoot a gun.

 

“Obviously we hope you won’t need to, but if anything happens you should be able to defend yourself. In a city like this it isn’t a bad idea.”

 

Jeremy agreed to go with him the next day.

 

The day with Gavin passed much the same. Jeremy met Alfredo and Trevor when they stopped in before going out to cause some chaos. Apparently Trevor is an excellent sniper as well as being the behind-the-scenes organizer of the crew. Alfredo would stalk their target on traffic cameras or with a drone he had and alert Trevor to their position. Their plan was to take out a few of the Vagos’ key members. During their visit they told Jeremy about some of the crazier hijinks they got up to with Gavin. They would call themselves the Dusk Boys and generally terrorize the city. No one had drawn the link between them and the Fakes because their activities were silly to the point of being amateurish. “But ya gotta take a break sometime, am I right?” Trevor had asked.

 

Jeremy had excused himself when Ryan came to visit Gavin. He figured the two would want some alone time without Jeremy as the third wheel.

 

Eventually Ryan came to find Jeremy and showed him to their shooting range. It seemed like whoever built the place originally didn’t see the need for a shooting gallery, it was really just a hallway to some storage rooms with targets at one end. Jeremy thought it was a little dangerous, what if someone walked out of the rooms? But Ryan dismissed his worry with an “eeehhh, it’s fiiine” which did not reassure him in the least, so he made a mental note: never come get anything from this hallway.

 

Jeremy wasn’t an undiscovered genius at shooting, but he wasn’t terrible either. with a little help from Ryan Jeremy could consistently hit the targets. Ryan’s help came in the form of him standing behind Jeremy and adjusting his hold on the gun by wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Jeremy, well, Jeremy took a moment to savour the feeling of Ryan’s strong hands around him. It had been a while ok? A fling or two in his first year of college, after struggling with the realization that his high school bullies may have been right, and that that wasn’t a bad thing. He liked seeing Ryan touching Gavin, probably more than he should, because it gave him a feeling of reassurance that someday he could have something like that. That in this crew he could find someone he loved and one day feel comfortable showing that in front of others. So yes, Jeremy took a moment to pretend that those touches were meant for him. Sue him. It was just a passing thought, and it wasn’t like he was attracted to _Ryan_. He knew the guy was with someone for goodness sake, he wasn’t to get any ideas. But he was thinking about this too much. Shooting. Targets. Bam bam bam.

 ******

Jeremy had a routine now. He would usually spend the morning with Gavin, making sure he did his physio, fetching things from his room, or food from the kitchen. Jeremy still helped Gavin to the bathroom, but now that Gavin had the use of his arms and a toilet Jeremy just needed to lift him in and out of the wheelchair. The bucket never made a reappearance.

 

The two would play video games and watch movies together. Gavin liked to have someone he could talk to during both activities, well Gavin just liked to talk period. Jeremy was happy to hang out with him, especially if the alternative was awkwardly hanging out around the base. Everyone in the crew was very nice and Jeremy was starting to be good friends with everyone, but they all had better things to do than entertain the new guy all day. Gavin and Jeremy were well suited in that they didn’t have anything else to do but couldn’t leave the bunker. The two of them became close. To spend that much time together without killing each other makes makes you develop a special bond.

 

Gavin seemed to be enjoying Jeremy’s company just as much. He never hinted that he wanted space from his “nurse’s” attention. He even called out Jeremy when he tried to sneak off to give Ryan time alone with his boyfriend.

 

That's not to say that Jeremy spent all his time with the injured man. A few weeks in Jeremy accepted Geoff’s offer to work as their forger. He would work on whatever project the Boss had for him while Gavin worked on hacking projects. Jeremy now had a steady stream of income. Gavin and Ryan convinced him to buy an apartment in the same building as them for when he could safely leave (it was the one he had left the poster outside of), but he squirreled the rest away to be able to afford tuition again. Jeremy also helped with the money laundering, which meant that he started working closely with Matt the finance guy. The two struck up a close friendship because they shared a sense of humour and both appreciated how the other could quietly focus on their work (no offense Gavin).

 

Lessons with Ryan, and whoever else wanted to help, continued. Jeremy was getting competent with a gun and was improving his hand-to-hand skills. He still remembered a lot from the days he used to get into fights, but now he had people teaching him technique. Getting to know Ryan better made Jeremy lose his last bit of nerves to be around the guy. The Vagabond persona still intimidated him, but Ryan was just too sweet to be scared of. Not to mention dorky.  

 

A highlight of his time in the bunker was whenever Jack decided he needed fresh air and “to see the light of day before you get as pale as Ryan, I swear to god.” Jack would take him up in her helicopter. It was a stolen TV copter that they used for reconnaissance , so Jeremy had to do some scouting, but it was deemed safe enough that they didn’t have to worry about Jeremy’s old gang.

 *****

Soon a month passed with the only incident being Gavin, Jeremy, and Michael getting in trouble for racing Gavin’s wheelchair around the base. The last of the Vagos had been wiped out, or at least anyone who would recognize Jeremy and care enough to hold a grudge. A party was planned for tonight, but Jeremy was more excited that it would be the last night of calling the bunker home.

 

Jeremy was dressed in new clothes thanks to Gavin’s love of online shopping (delivered to a P.O. box, not the bunker, obviously. Imagine a UPS driver knocking on the door to the elevator!). They were at a very classy bar at the heart of the Fake’s territory. The whole crew was there and they were anxious to let loose after over a month of stress from the Vagos. Jeremy wasn’t the only one past tipsy. Gavin had taken a day off from his painkillers to enjoy some “bevs” and the sober Ryan had to keep him from getting out of his chair to dance.

 

Jeremy hadn’t been to a bar in a long time. He got out on the dance floor with his new friends. It was exhilarating. Jeremy loved the feeling of being surrounded by friends all having fun.

 

Just as Jeremy started to get tired and think about sitting down for a moment he felt a hand on his elbow. He turned around to see Ryan. As soon as their eyes met the DJ put on a slow song. It was too much like a movie set in an eighth grade dance that both of them started to giggle.

 

“I was just going to ask you something, but now I think the universe wants us to slow dance.” Ryan had leaned in so that Jeremy could hear him over the still loud music.

 

Jeremy just laughed and and threw his arms around Ryan’s neck. He felt the taller man’s hands settle on his hips. They kept about a foot of space between their bodies and stepped side to side in an imitation of an awkward pre-teen couple, mutually deciding to continue pretending they were in a bad movie.

 

“I never know if I’m supposed to go in circles or not. I feel kinda stupid twirling around but everyone else does it.”

 

Ryan laughed and said, “I made a deal with Gavin that he wouldn’t try walking around if I brought you back with me. Come sit in the booth with us.”

 

Jeremy agreed. He spent the rest of the night sandwiched between Ryan and Gavin’s wheelchair. The couple would lean into Jeremy’s space so they could talk to each other over the loud music, and Jeremy couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

 

“Jeremy, I don’t know that I really feel like celebrating.”

 

“Why’s that Gav?”

 

“Because now that you’re not stuck at the base I won’t get to see you. I’m going to miss you Jeremy.” Gavin emphasized his point by resting his hand on Jeremy’s arm. It was warm and Jeremy would have concentrated on the feeling of it except he was too busy being mesmerized by Gavin’s big green eyes.

 

“I’m not leaving Gav, we’ll still see each other.”

 

“But not nearly as much. You’re probably desperate to get away from me. I’ve been told I’m pretty annoying.”

 

“That’s not true.” Now Jeremy lifted his hand to cup Gavin’s face. A part of his brain that was too submerged in alcohol tried to tell him that was a bad idea, but he couldn’t think of why. “We’re gonna see each other all the time. I promise. You’ll get sick of me first. And you shouldn’t think of yourself as being annoying. I don’t think you are.”

 

Gavin leaned into his hand and closed his eyes. “As long as you promise…” It was practically a sigh.

 

“Yikes,” Ryan exclaimed behind Jeremy, startling him. How did he forget Ryan was there? “I’d better get him home. Would you like a ride back to your new place? I know Gavin has a surprise for you.”

 

“Yeah, that would be great.” Jeremy had to pull his schnapps soaked brain out of the gutter, where it had been happily coming up with ideas about what Gavin’s “surprise” could be.

 

When they got to the apartment complex Gavin perked up enough to insist that Jeremy stay the night in their unit so that he could show him the surprise tomorrow when he was sober and could enjoy Jeremy’s reaction. Jeremy stayed on the couch, very aware of how Gavin clung to Ryan as they made their way into the bedroom. He wondered what Gavin wanted to show him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ArtlessComedic was right and we see Jeremy awkwardly hanging out at the Fake's base. Any guesses about Gavin's surprise?


	3. Filling in the Colours

Jeremy woke up to the smell of sizzling sausages and eggs. With a groan he opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar room. _You’re in Gavin and Ryan’s apartment_ , he realized. It was the first time since leaving the Vagos that he slept anywhere but his room in the bunker. Waking up to soft sunlight slanting in through the windows felt like heaven, even with his hangover headache. He sat up and saw Ryan clattering around in the kitchen. Jeremy had never seen his hair loose before, usually it was pulled back in a ponytail. He decided he liked the look of it. As if he could feel his guest’s stare on him, Ryan turned around with a smile.

 

“Good morning! How did you sleep?”

 

“Good morning. It was pretty good. You have a really comfortable couch. How about you and Gav?”

 

“Gavin always sleeps like the dead after a night of drinking. Hopefully with you here he’ll actually get out of bed instead of trying to pull me back in for the rest of the morning. When the food’s done I’ll see if he’ll get up for breakfast. Do you want some coffee?”

 

“Yes please! My head is killing me after last night.”

 

Ryan chuckled as he filled a mug for Jeremy and brought it over. “Well let me know if you need anything for that. Gavin goes out drinking with the crew pretty regularly so we’re fully stocked on hangover remedies.”

 

As Jeremy took the mug from his host he looked up and saw Ryan looking down at him with a cheeky smile, his hair framing his face beautifully. The thought of brushing the dark hair and tucking it behind an ear flashed through Jeremy’s brain. With it came the memory of his hand on Gavin’s cheek last night. _Oh fuck, this is something I’m going to have to confront isn’t it._ He thanked Ryan and leaned over the mug with his eyes closed, taking in a deep breath of coffee scent.

 

Ryan just laughed again and went to fill another mug, presumably for Gavin since he carried it with him to the bedroom. Jeremy listened to the gentle sounds of Ryan convincing Gavin to get out of bed while Gavin tried to get Ryan back _in_ bed. A part of him wished he could see it. _No! Stop that!_ When had this turned into a crush? He had been under the impression that it was just envy of their relationship that he had been feeling. Thought that that tug in his stomach whenever the two touched was just a wish he could have something like that someday. Now in the past -- oh god was it really less than 12 hours?-- he realized that he wasn’t just yearning for a touch _like_ that, he wanted those touches for himself. _Don’t be stupid! Don’t ruin this! That is so creepy and if they find out they’ll be so weirded out. Just because you haven’t had the chance to meet any gay men in over a year doesn’t mean you get to fall head over heels for the first ones you meet. THEY HAVE EACH OTHER and would never even think about you like that, you fool. And if either of them did? How could you stand ruining a relationship that beautiful?_ Jeremy took a long sip of his coffee. _I’ll just have to go out and meet someone. It’s just been too long. I’ll meet someone. I’ll get over this._

 

It seemed like Ryan did manage to convince Gavin to get up. He was way too perky for someone who just got out of bed after a night of drinking. But he reminded Jeremy why.

 

“Are you excited to see your new apartment Lil J? Let’s go look and then I can show you what I got for you!”

 

“Let him eat breakfast first!”

 

The three sat at the kitchen table and ate. The food was as good as it looked. Jeremy _was_ excited to see his new place. He had only seen pictures of it so far, but he knew the crew had furnished it for him. “Just the necessities” Jack had said, and explained that they were going to get some furniture from various safe houses so that Jeremy could move in right away. Jeremy did the dishes while the other two brushed their teeth and changed.

 

They went down the elevator, his apartment was two floors below and on the other side of the building. Ryan pulled out his keys and unlocked the door for Jeremy. He took one step in and stopped, stunned. He had expected a few bits of furniture, but this was fully furnished. Everything was modern and sleek. It was beautiful.

 

“Well? Go on! Make yourself at home!” Gavin squealed.

 

Jeremy stepped in. He opened a kitchen cupboard and saw it full of dishes, they even matched, not just a bunch of random ones thrown together.

 

“You guys! This is too much! You shouldn’t have gotten me all this stuff.”

 

“Do you not like it?” Ryan seemed a little worried.

 

“No, everything is beautiful, but you said you were just getting me the necessities!”

 

“These _are_ the necessities Jeremy!” Gavin sounded confused, like this amazingly furnished apartment was the bare minimum of what someone should have. But for Jeremy it was more than he had ever expected to own.

 

“There’s a TV and Xbox in the living room!”

 

“Have you met the crew? Video games are just as important as food! That totally counts as a necessity.”

 

Ryan rested a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Jeremy, the crew was happy to set this place up for you. None of us thought we were doing too much, and if Mica had gotten her way we would have even decorated it for you, except I thought you would want to do that part yourself. But if you don’t like it none of us would be offended if you wanted to change something.”

 

“No! It is wonderful! I love it! I’m sorry for freaking out, I just wasn’t expecting it. This was a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”

 

“This isn’t your surprise you dummy! Go look around and see if you can find it!”

 

Jeremy turned away, hoping to hide the tears in his eyes. It was too much. They shouldn’t have gotten him all of this furniture. He looked around the living room, seeing a comfortable white couch in front of the TV and gaming centre. There were shelves where he could put games and DVDs. The walls were bare and there were no decorative items on the coffee table or end tables, but he could fix that pretty quickly. The view from the windows was amazing. Ryan and Gavin’s apartment looked out over the city, but his faced the mountains and he had a breathtaking view of Chilliad in the distance.

 

He went down the little hallway and saw that the first door opened into an office. There were two desks, one with a computer and office stuff and the other by the window where he could work on his art. There were empty bookshelves on the walls and a few lamps on the work surfaces. Next was a bedroom with a comfortable looking bed and duvet and a wooden bed frame. There were two nightstands on either side with matching lamps. On the wall opposite the bed was a huge closet with a place to hang shirts on one side and drawers on the other. He pulled back the long curtain to reveal the large window with another stunning view. All this was going to be his home!

 

Gavin had wheeled himself into the door to the room. He was practically vibrating with excitement. “Have you looked in the bathroom yet Jeremy?”

 

Going across the hall and opening the door Jeremy was struck by how large the bathroom was. The shower was huge and there was even a washer and dryer. On the floor next to it was a plastic tub with sand in it.

 

“Gavin! Did you--Is there a cat in here somewhere?!” That was unmistakably a litter box.

 

“Not exactly, Rye-bread wouldn’t get one until you actually said yes, but I knew you wanted one so I gave you all the stuff so now you have no reason not to! There’s food and bowls in the kitchen and a cat tree here somewhere.”

 

“He just got excited because I won’t let him have a cat at our place. When you said you like them he decided to use you as an excuse to get one he can visit.” Ryan was standing over Gavin’s chair. Both of them were in the doorway waiting for his reaction.

 

“Please Jeremy! We can go to the shelter and pick out a cat today!”

 

“I would love a cat! Oh my god, thank you Gavin!” Jeremy leaned down and hugged him.

 

“Hey, how about I drive back to the bunker and get your stuff while the two of you pick out a cat?”

 

“That is an excellent idea Ryan! That means we can go right now!”

 

“How are we supposed to get there if Ryan is going to the bunker? We can always go on our way back.”

 

“Or,” Ryan said holding up the keys he had used to get into the apartment, “You can drive Gavin yourself. He isn’t the only one who can get you a surprise.”

 

He tossed the keys at Jeremy who noticed that there were two keys on the ring. One for the front door and the other for -- ‘Ryan, is this a car key?!”

 

“Yes, but before you freak out, it is a car we stole on a heist once and no one has used it since. What I really got you is a coupon for our favourite mechanic to give it a paint job and any upgrades you think you might want.”

 

Jeremy was touched. “You guys! This is -- It’s too much. You didn’t have to.”

 

“But we wanted to, Jer-bear. It’s just to get you set up. I know you’ll do just fine but it’s easier when you’re not starting from nothing.”

 

“Thank you. I really do appreciate it.” Jeremy turned to Ryan and gave him a quick hug too.

 

“Alright, before this gets too sappy, lets go get a cat!”

 

Gavin and Jeremy took Jeremy’s new car to the shelter. When they got there they had a wonderful time playing with all the rescue cats. There were a couple orange kittens that Gavin took a particular shine to. He would hold them up to his face and snuggle them. Jeremy took a number of pictures because it was the cutest fucking thing he had ever seen. Eventually he decided on a big grey Tom cat. He was a tabby and a little bit overweight, but he was super friendly and had a really loud purr. They spent a long time arguing about names for him, each one dumber than the last (including Edgar, Pubert, Fickle Pickle, Clegg, and Sludge Buckle) before settling on Tubby Wubbler.

 

Gavin and Ryan spent the rest of the afternoon helping him get settled in to his new place and playing with Tubby. Gavin had a laser pointer for him to chase, and there were a number of empty boxes for him to hide in. It was nice to finally get a cat.

 

Ryan not only brought his stuff from the bunker, but also groceries so Jeremy insisted on cooking them dinner. They ate and played video games on Jeremy’s new TV. He didn’t want the night to end, but now he was overly cautious about his interactions with the other two. He didn’t want them to think he was flirting or being inappropriate. The problem was that _Gavin_ made it hard to stay that way. He was a charismatic dude, he probably didn’t even know how charming he could be and the effect it had on Jeremy. Ryan didn’t seem to find a problem with it so Jeremy knew he was reading too far into the little looks, the touches, the sweet way Gavin said his name. If Gavin thought about him that way at all it would have been the result of a weird Stockholm or Nurse Syndrome, nothing more. And Jeremy would have been a creep to take advantage of that.

 

That night Jeremy lay in his bed, his very own bed with in his very own house with his very own cat curled up beside him. He had never felt so lucky and at home. It felt like a dream. That none of it could be real. That since he didn’t earn it and buy it himself then it could be taken away from him or he was stuck trying to pay it off like in the Vagos… _But this crew isn’t like that_ . He had to keep telling himself he was free from that nightmare. That Geoff and the crew were sincere, even if part of him didn’t believe that yet. _How can you not believe it! They have been nothing but kind to you! Gavin and Ryan especially…_ and Jeremy felt like kicking himself, because of course he had to fall for the first people who were nice and friendly to him that he had met in a long time. He had to find some way of ruining a good thing.

 

Jeremy wanted to resolve not to spend so much time with the pair. A little time apart would clear his head. But the selfish part of him didn’t want to. And he remembered his promise to Gavin that he would spend just as much time with him as before. He didn’t want the british man to think that Jeremy was avoiding him because he was annoying, that would be terrible. Jeremy knew that even if he did decide to spend less time with either of them he would only be kidding himself, he wouldn’t be able to stay away.

 *****

Over the next few weeks Jeremy did see lots of Gavin and Ryan. Ryan was less nocturnal now that the turf war was won so he would drive Gavin and Jeremy to the bunker if they needed to be there. Ryan was going out on more jobs to cover for Golden Boy being out of commission. No one was going to question the Vagabond for showing up to a negotiation unexpectedly. The crew decided it would be better if Gavin stayed out of the public eye until he was fully healed. They didn’t want anyone thinking they had an opportunity to exploit a weakness. While Ryan was out the other two would usually stay at Jeremy’s so that they could work while playing with the cat. Gavin would make himself at home on Jeremy’s computer, usually playing games since a lot of his hacking work had been taken over by Alfredo and other members of the Support Team. Jeremy didn’t have a lot of forgery work either, so he joined in on the fun more often than not. Gavin decided his new favourite thing was making Jeremy do horrible things for money. Jeremy was too wrapped around Gavin’s little finger to ever say no to anything no matter how ridiculous it was.

 

Mario Party nights became a regular occurrence at Jeremy’s apartment. Ryan, Gavin, and Lindsay were the usual guests but sometimes Michael would brave the cat hair and join in if Ryan couldn’t make it. He always grumbled about how they used to have the tournaments at their place but Lindsay liked playing with the cat too much. Jeremy was invited over to the Jones' place for other video games just as often so he knew Michael wasn’t really that upset.

 

Jeremy also started going on missions with Ryan. Just simple things where they would sneak in somewhere to copy information without stealing it. Jeremy knew what sort of thing he was looking for (signatures, paper quality, ink colours, ID cards etc.) so it was easier for him to be the one to go in, but he didn’t want to go alone in case he ran into any trouble. Ryan always volunteered to be his back up and the two worked really well together. So well that they ended up earning the the team name Battle Buddies.

 

When Gavin finally got his casts off and started to get back on his feet Jeremy wondered if Gavin would be less disruptive, however as soon as he was steady on his feet he started to get even _worse_ . In his first week he managed to make it into the local newspaper along with Alfredo and Trevor under the headline “Local Teens Dress as Superheros, Cause $15,000 in Damage” although the three were outraged at being mistaken for “rowdy high school students.” To be fair, Jeremy didn’t know how any high school student would be able to afford _that many_ bouncy balls anyway so the trio did have a point.

 

Now that Gavin was independant again, Jeremy thought that he would be seeing less of the Lad. He was wrong about that. Gavin spent just as much time with Jeremy, except now he was able to show up any time he wanted. Many times Jeremy would get back to his apartment to find Gavin playing Tubby. Jeremy wasn’t going to complain about it even though he did wonder whether the Brit had a key or not. He was always happy to spend time with Gavin. The only thing was that he wanted to try something and he didn’t really want to reveal it to anyone.

 

Jeremy had gotten in touch with his academic advisor to see if he could take any online classes towards his degree. He was currently enrolled in two courses: Art History in the 20th Century and Introduction to Photography. The logical part of him knew his new friends wouldn’t care if he was in classes or not, but the insecure part was louder. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with the Vagos, even though he knew the Fakes were different. Once bitten twice shy and all that. Another reason was that he was afraid the crew would make fun of him. He knew that only Trevor had a university degree, had even worked at NASA before he was caught selling government secrets, but some of the guys hadn’t even finished high school (like Jeremy himself). He also didn’t want them to think he was putting something else before the crew, distracting himself. Plus it isn’t like it ever came up in conversation, so it was easy to just…never bring it up.

 

Art History was fine. It was just reading and remembering pictures. Jeremy had some experience with that kind of thing from his days studying in the public library back in Boston. The names and movements were familiar to him. He liked that the online quizzes were mostly multiple choice.

 

Photography was a different story. Jeremy had never owned a camera before. The phone camera he got from the Fakes was the first one that actually belonged to him. This course recommended a DSLR and since Jeremy had the cash to burn he decided to splurge. Unfortunately the thing was way too advanced for him. He barely knew what any of the buttons did. And half of the class was editing the pictures on photoshop. Jeremy was struggling to understand the software.

 

Things were going well until midterms. The crew was in the middle of heist prep so thankfully people were too busy to notice he wasn’t around the bunker much. Jeremy had a 6000 word research paper on Dadaism due the day before he had to hand in a poster illustrating “The Three Basic Elements of Photography” but he couldn’t start on them until he finished making fake security guard tags for the heist. He managed to get his work for Geoff finished and only had a few sleepless nights finishing the paper. He was actually pretty happy with it and managed to hand it in before the last minute.

 

Do computers somehow know when deadlines are coming up? Or is it the increased useage that causes them to crash? Jeremy was pretty sure that they smell fear. How else do you explain why his laptop crashed at 3:30 am the day his poster was due. Of course he couldn’t remember the last time he saved. He had no idea what he could do. As his computer slowly rebooted Jeremy paced the room. What if everything was gone? Alfredo could probably help recover the files. But the poster was due at noon and he didn’t know if the techie was at the bunker or when he would get there. He tried calling but no one picked up. _Probably asleep like a sensible person_.

 

Finally the laptop groaned to life. Jeremy opened photoshop to see what was left and immediately the screen went blue again. He was fucked. If photoshop was causing his computer to crash how was he supposed to finish? The school library wouldn’t be opening until 8:00 am and that was four hours he couldn’t afford to lose.

 

He sat on the floor and couldn’t stop the tears of frustration from springing to his eyes. This was too similar to his second year. He couldn’t do it. It was too hard to keep up with school work. He didn’t want to say no to Geoff, even though he knew the crew boss wouldn’t get mad or threaten him, Jeremy just felt like he owed the man too much to disappoint him. But if only he had more time!

 

He felt a nudge at his elbow. Tubby Wubbler was nuzzling him. Jeremy scooped him up and buried his face in the cats soft fur. TubWub’s gold collar caught the light and Jeremy had a flash of inspiration. _Gavin!_ Gavin could do computers, he was even in the same building. Jeremy could knock on their door if they didn't answer their phones. Ryan notoriously didn’t sleep much so the chances were good that someone was up. Without waiting for his doubts to catch up with him Jeremy started dialing.

 

The few rings had Jeremy’s heart pounding. Finally a sleepy voice answered. “‘Ello?”

 

“Gavin, I need your help. Can you -- would you come down here please?” Jeremy was still in tears and he hoped it didn’t come across in his voice

 

“Jeremy? Is everything ok?” Gavin sounded alarmed. Of course he did, it was the middle of the night, Jeremy called him in tears and asked for help. What was he supposed to think? _Idiot, Jeremy! Idiot!!_

 

“I’m fine Gav, not hurt or anything. I just really _really_ need your help fixing my computer.”

 

“Right now? Sorry, yeah I’m on my way. I’ll be right there.”

 

It was only a few minutes later before Gavin knocked on the door. Jeremy let him in and all but pulled him into the office.

 

“It’s photoshop. Every time I open it the computer crashes and I _need_ to use it. If it’s broken I need to get all my files I--”

 

“Jeremy, slow down, luv. Have a seat and take a deep breath.”

 

Jeremy did as he was told. His breathing was shaky but it helped. “I am working on something in photoshop. I need to get it done before noon and I have so much more to do. Please Gav, can you fix it?”

 

“It’s alright luv. Why don’t you make us both some tea, yeah? I’ll take a look.”

 

Jeremy stumbled to the kitchen. He robotically went through the process of putting on the kettle and getting out the tea bags that Gavin kept stocked in his kitchen. Jeremy was already an expert at making the tea just the way the Englishman liked. He had to add a lot more sugar to his own to make it drinkable. When he got back with the steaming mugs Gavin was busy typing away.

 

“It looks like one of your files was corrupted, but I was able to find a previous save. It is just rebooting now and then it should work, ok?”

 

“Gavin! You’re amazing! Oh my god, thank you!” Jeremy put the tea down and hugged Gavin as hard as he could.

 

“Hahaha Jeremy! It was no trouble, really! There, take a look and see if that will get you back on track.”

 

Jeremy looked at the screen. It was hours before where he had ended up, none of the photographs were there, but the text and the formatting were fine. He could work with this.

 

“This is perfect Gavin! Thank you! Sorry for waking you up. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

 

“What do you even need to be working on in the middle of the night for anyways? I thought you finished your thing for Geoff, and the heist isn’t for another week so there isn’t a panic about it.”

 

“It’s not for Geoff...It is a personal project…” Gavin just stared at him with curiosity. Jeremy decided it would be rude to keep it a secret at this point. “I’ve been taking classes…”

 

“What kind of classes?”

 

“Art classes. I’m halfway through getting a degree and I’m trying to get a few more credits. This project is due tomorrow and I’m already not doing well in the course.”

 

“Jeremy! That is amazing! Why didn’t you tell us! Geoff would have given you the time off you know. Which course is this?”

 

Jeremy should have expected this kind of reaction, but he was still surprised to hear it. “I know I should’ve said something but… this is what I was trying to do when the Vagos started blackmailing me. This is for Photography. I’m in Art History too.”

 

“Photography! I bloody love photography! What do you have to do?”

 

“Uhhmm” Wow, Jeremy was not expecting that level of enthusiasm. “We’re talking about the basics, but I just don’t get the aperture and depth of field part.”

 

“Oooo that part is tricky because it’s the inverse innit? Here, show me what you’ve got so far.”

 

Gavin ended up editing his project with him and then when it got light the two went for coffee and stopped in the park to re-do a bunch of Jeremy’s pictures. Gavin showed him how to save them in a format that wouldn’t cause his program to crash. With his help Jeremy’s poster was finished in no time.

 

With the cat out of the bag, and Gavin’s encouragement, Jeremy confessed to the crew that he was trying to get his art degree. Geoff playfully swatted him upside the head when he learned that Jeremy was trying to balance the crew work and his classes and told him he could take as much time as he needed. When he got his midterm marks back, an 78% on the poster and a 85% on the paper, they took him out to dinner to celebrate.

 

Gavin was a wonderful tutor when it came to photography, but he wasn’t the only one who could lend a hand.

 

Jeremy was over at Gavin’s place showing the cameraman his next project. He needed to create a chart of all of the portrait poses showing how different angles of light changes them.

 

“Sounds like you’re going to need a model Lil J!” Gavin turned gleefully to where Ryan was cooking in the kitchen. “Rye-bread, don’t you want to relive your modeling glory days?”

 

Ryan chuckled. “Well if Jeremy wants me to give him a hand…”

 

“You were a _model_?”

 

“Don’t sound so surprised! What, have I lost my good looks already?”

 

No, he surely had not. “Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just… How do you go from model to assassin?”

 

“If you have to spend a day with anyone in the fashion industry, you’d want to go on a murderous rampage too, trust me.”

 

That is how the three of them ended up doing a photoshoot on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Gavin borrowed a strong lamp and a tripod from one of his journalist connections. Ryan was sitting on a stool against a bare white wall. Jeremy was trying to adjust the lights and Gavin was filming it all on his phone like it was a documentary, complete with interviews.

 

“So Jeremy, you’re in year three of art school, yes?”

 

“Not really, I’ll start my third next semester.”

 

“But you’ve done two already.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So you must be good at colours and all that.”

 

“I hope so.” At this point Jeremy had the lights set up so they were shining directly down on Ryan. He snapped some pictures of his model front-on then had Ryan turn to ¾s then profile before having to adjust the lights to the top left.

 

“So tell me, why did you ruin the car Ryan gave you by painting it orange and purple?”

 

“Excuse you! I did not ruin it! Purple and orange are great together!”

 

They continued to banter playfully as Jeremy adjusted the lights, photographed Ryan in his three poses, and repeat. With anyone else Jeremy would have thought of it as flirting. But Gavin would never flirt _in front of his boyfriend_ and Ryan certainly wouldn’t laugh along with them if he did. Safe in the knowledge that neither of the couple thought of this as flirting, Jeremy was happy to indulge himself. They wouldn’t know he was being sincere, they’d just think he was playing along.

 

Well that was the plan anyway.

 

Jeremy had moved the light to the bottom right, over half way done. Gavin was still bugging him about his colour choices. The truth was Jeremy had never had a chance to get something for himself that was outrageous and fun and he had wanted to finally stand out instead of appearing invisible. The paint job was one way of expressing how liberated he felt now that he was in the Fakes. Geoff had a fleet of hot pink cars, so it isn’t like he was the only one to have bright colours.

 

“Well Gav, if you really don’t like it that much I guess you don’t want me to drive you anywhere anymore.”

 

“Jeremy! You don’t really mean that!”

 

“If you don’t like my car then my car doesn’t like you.”

 

“But _you_ still like me, don’t you Lil J?”

 

“Of course I do, Gav.” Jeremy said, walking back towards his camera. As he passed Gavin he put his hand on the other’s elbow and gave a light squeeze. Gavin gave him a soft smile in return.

 

“Hey Gav?” Ryan spoke up. He had been unusually quiet, seemingly content to listen to the other two. Jeremy assumed he was in ‘professional model mode’ and didn’t think much of it. “Come here for a sec.”

 

When Gavin reached the model Ryan yanked him down by the shirt and kissed him passionately. Surprised, the younger man’s hand flew up to rest on his lover’s neck.

 

Jeremy will swear to the end of time that it was the shock. That in his surprise his muscle twitched. It was merely a coincidence that his finger was on the shutter. He would never have _intentionally_ taken that picture. It was only an accident that lead to him perfectly capturing those two beautiful men sharing an intimate moment.

 

The pair broke apart. “What was that for, you mong!”

 

Jeremy couldn’t help but notice how Ryan’s eyes flashed to him before looking back at Gavin.

 

“I’ll tell you later, dear.” Ryan gave him another quick peck before releasing him and posing for Jeremy again.

 

Oh no. Oh _no_ ! Ryan had to have seen! He figured out somehow that Jeremy really meant it. That was the least subtle _back off, he’s mine_ that Jeremy had ever seen! He had no doubt that later the two men would be having a conversation about him and it was not going to be good. Mechanically he took the pictures he needed to and adjusted the lights to complete the rotation. Internally he was screaming at himself. _Idiot! Idiot fool! You just had to ruin it. Ryan is going to hate you and Gavin is going to think you’re pathetic! Why couldn’t you keep your feelings to yourself! Why did you have to flirt when you knew that isn’t what Gavin was doing?_

 

They finished up the shoot and Jeremy was proud at himself for how put together he was. He hoped the other two didn’t notice how badly he was freaking out. Ryan was giving him a speculative look, but that was because he already knew. Gavin seemed surprised he was kicking them out before dinner, they had had tentative plans to eat together, but Jeremy just couldn’t stand the thought of everyone sitting around pretending he hadn’t just put his foot in it real bad.

 

That night he curled up with Tubby and cried himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to have more in it, but it was already pretty long and I'm worried about my pacing. 
> 
> Shout out to Liz for guessing that Gavin got Jeremy a cat. I'm surprised no one thought it would be a car. 
> 
> Comments and kudos feed my inspiration, so please don't be shy! Actually, tell me what you DON'T like about this piece so far, that way I can make it better!


	4. Final Touches

Jeremy avoided Gavin and especially Ryan like the plague after that fateful afternoon. He decided to become as slippery as an eel. He was lucky to have three weeks leading up to exams as an excuse not to host game nights. Jeremy also took the opportunity to bond more with the other crew members. He and Matt ended up spending a lot more time together at Matt’s apartment where Jeremy discovered his friend not only made the most elaborate Minecraft worlds he had ever seen, but also had a fantastic sense of humor and would narrate his characters’ actions in ways that made Jeremy’s sides hurt from laughing.

 

Jeremy finished his exams and he was actually feeling confident about the results. He was very excited to start the next semester because he had worked out how to attend classes in person instead of online. He decided to only take a part time workload so that he wouldn’t be as stressed about finishing all his school work.

 

The crew was gearing up for a heist, breaking into the Humane Labs and stealing their latest wonderdrug recipe, and to celebrate Jeremy being between semesters they asked if he wanted to be included in the action. He readily agreed since his break-ins with his Battle Buddy had been going so well and he had gotten a lot better at shooting and other combat skills. 

 

He actually felt a little bad about avoiding Ryan, seeing as it was his hard work and patience in teaching Jeremy that allowed him to be a part of the heist crew. In the past two weeks Jeremy hadn’t been alone with either Ryan or Gavin once. Sometimes he thought they might be trying to corner him and have a conversation, but he couldn’t imagine they had anything to say that he would want to hear. He needed the space to get over them anyway. 

 

On a night he stayed late at the bunker with Matt he started wondering if it would be a good idea to start hosting game nights with Ryan, Gavin, Michael and Lindsay again.. He was so busy weighing the pros and cons that he forgot to knock on the bathroom door as he walked in. He was greeted with the sight of Ryan sitting on the bathroom floor with his head in his hands. At the sound of Jeremy’s entrance he jumped and looked up. His face paint was a mess, Jeremy wasn’t sure if he had smeared it just now or if his hand was shaking when he applied it. 

 

“Ryan! Are you ok?” Jeremy closed the door so that just a crack was open. Enough that Ryan wouldn’t feel like he was being locked in, but they still had a sense of privacy. He sat on the floor a little distance away. Something must be very wrong for the Vagabond to be this upset. 

 

“Jeremy! Oh god, I’m so sorry!”

 

“Hey now, you have nothing to be sorry for. What happened?”

 

Ryan hesitated. “I-I just… Geoff needs me to go talk to the arms dealer who raised their prices…but I-It’s been a really shitty week.”

 

Jeremy wished he had paid more attention to Ryan over the past little bit. He had no idea what could have happened to make him this upset. Jeremy cringed at what a bad friend he was. Well, better try fixing it now.

 

“Do you want me to call Geoff and get someone else to do the deal?”

 

“No! No, I can do it! I’ll be fine in a second” Ryan heaved himself to his feet and grabbed a cloth to wipe away the mess that was his face. Jeremy could see the tremor in his hands.    
  


“Rye? Let me?” The distressed man closed his eyes and hunched over the sink for a minute before sitting on the edge of the large tub. 

 

Jeremy rinsed the cloth and went over to Ryan. As gently as he could he wiped away the remaining face paint. Ryan kept his eyes closed. 

 

Taking the paints and a brush in hand Jeremy realized that he didn’t remember the exact pattern the Vagabond normally did, so he decided to draw a more realistic skull on his crew member’s face. Putting the paints down beside Ryan, he cupped his chin and tipped it up towards the light. 

 

Jeremy began brushing softly across the plains of Ryan’s face starting with white and continuing with darker colours. He was given a chance to look at all the details of his crush’s face. It was mesmerizing. The dark lashes, the bitten lips, the stubble showing on his jaw. Ryan was a masterpiece in his own right. Jeremy took his time painting the delicate lines. Ryan seemed to be  relaxing under his touch and Jeremy wanted to savour this moment. 

 

He knew Ryan couldn’t be too late for his meeting, but he took a second to admire his work. Ryan must have felt that he was finished because he opened his eyes. A soft smile spread across his face as he looked at Jeremy. 

 

“Thank you.” He said as he reached up and touched the wrist of the hand that was still cupping his chin. 

 

“You’re more than welcome Ryan.” Jeremy started to pull away to pack up the paints. 

 

Ryan stood to admire Jeremy’s work in the mirror. “This is amazing. I’m going to have to remember this pattern. I may have to get you to do it though, mine are never this good.”

 

“Well, it _ is _ easier to do someone else.”

 

“Nah, you’re just talented.” Ryan turned with a smile. “Hey, Jeremy?”

 

“What’s up Rye?”

 

“Gavin and I have really missed you these last few weeks. I know it would really make his day if you had any time to make plans with him.”

 

“I’ll do that. I’m sorry I’ve been so distant lately. I just...had a lot on my plate at once.”

 

“I understand. But please, don’t be a stranger.” Ryan gave him a last smile and a parting  shoulder squeeze before leaving the room. 

 

Jeremy was ashamed at how childish he had been. He really made a mountain out of a molehill and blew the whole Gavin and Ryan thing out of proportion. Maybe they did notice he was flirting, but they obviously didn’t want it to ruin their friendship. Ryan wasn’t trying to keep Gavin away from him out of jealousy, he wasn’t that petty or insecure. Jeremy felt like a fool for even thinking that was a possibility. 

 

Gavin was  _ delighted _ when Jeremy texted a simple “Hi” and the two quickly made plans. It was a little awkward at first, but soon Gavin was back to his lively self. Jeremy couldn’t bring himself to return any mock-flirtatious comments, he had already been burned by that behaviour, but he was surprised Gavin was still so openly affectionate.  _ He really must not realize how charming he is. _

 

Heist planning was a lot more fun now that he wasn't stressed about avoiding two of the key members. The three of them had completely made up without speaking about the issue. Soon the big day came and went.

 

Overall for his first heist, it went really well. They did alert the guards, but it was on their way out so they just needed to lose the police and lay low for a few days.

 

Jeremy’s first day back for a new semester at school was way more nerve wracking than the heist had been. Everyone who he had been with before had graduated already so he was with a bunch of strangers and he was easily the oldest one in the class. Since he was new to them as well and hadn’t had the chance to join in the little groups that had formed in their first and second years he felt a little left out. He was sure he would make friends like he had before, but now with the Fakes he wasn’t as lonely as he would have been in the meantime. 

 

A week after classes started Jeremy was at Ryan and Gavin’s because the Brit acted like he was personally offended that Jeremy hadn’t seen any of the Bond movies. They were having a marathon, eating take out, and drinking. Ryan was out on a job but he promised to join them when he was done. 

 

For the first movie the boys sat beside each other on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between them. Before the second movie started the empty bowl was moved to the coffee table and Gavin was sitting much closer to Jeremy, eventually curling up beside him. He was always a touchy drunk so it wasn’t surprising that he kept getting closer. Now Gavin was nodding off, his head coming to rest on Jeremy’s chest.

 

It was adorable. Maybe a few weeks ago Jeremy would have pretended for a moment that it was a romantic gesture but now he knew better than to think of “what might have been.” He still couldn’t help moving his arm around the sleepy man to tuck him closer. He didn’t want Gavin to get uncomfortable, besides he was probably cold and just seeking warmth. Suddenly Gavin grabbed Jeremy’s hand and placed it on his head.  _ Oh, he’s acting like he’s beside Ryan in his sleep! _ Jeremy had seen Gavin nod off with Ryan playing with his hair countless times. Jeremy did what Gavin wanted, he wasn’t used to refusing him yet, and ran his fingers through the light brown hair. It was much softer than he expected. Surely Gavin must use gel to keep it styled like that? But this was silky and feathery to the touch. Gavin just hummed and somehow relaxed into Jeremy even more. 

 

There is no way Jeremy could feel sleepy with the weight of Gavin tucked under his arm and his soft hair under his fingers. Jeremy wanted to enjoy every stolen moment he could get. He was only marginally aware that something exciting was happening on the screen in front of him.

 

Maybe he was distracted. Maybe the TV was too loud. Or maybe Ryan is just a damn sneaky bastard because suddenly he was standing right behind Jeremy, leaning on the couch. He practically jumped out of his skin and dropped his hands from Gavin as if he had been burned.

 

Ryan chuckled at his reaction. “I’m sorry to scare you! I don’t want to disturb the two of you. Hold on while I get changed and I’ll come join you.”

 

The entire time Ryan was out of the room Jeremy was panicking. He tried shifting Gavin away from him but it only made the lad cling closer. 

 

“Yeah, he acts like an octopus when he gets tired.” Oh shit Ryan was back fast. “You’re stuck there, you may as well give up now. Is there any room beside you?” There wasn’t really but Ryan squished himself into the space between Jeremy and the arm of the couch. “Here, lean back on me, that will be more comfortable.” He put his arm around Jeremy and just the gentle pressure had the shorter man leaning against Ryan’s strong chest. His heart was beating fast but it felt  _ so good _ to be sandwiched between the two men. Ryan moved his hand to Jeremy’s hair. “Do you mind? I’m not used to doing nothing with my hands.”

 

“G-go for it” And Ryan started massaging his scalp. It must not have been as fun as playing with Gavin’s longer hair, but Jeremy had to repress a shudder at how good it felt. If he were to die right now heaven wouldn’t feel this wonderful. Two warm bodies on either side, everyone a tangle of limbs and a strong hands running through his hair. It couldn’t be more perfect. He wished he could distill this moment. Bottle it up and live off of it forever. He never wanted it to end. Never wanted to deal with the heartbreak that would come when these two lost interest in him. 

 

“Are you comfortable Jeremy?” Ryan’s whisper ghosted his ear. He shouldn’t be. He was. Oh god was he ever. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“You’re not falling asleep on me too are you?”

 

“Might be”

 

Ryan laughed and Jeremy could feel his chest shaking beneath him. “At least help me get Gavin to bed before you do.” 

 

Ryan helped the two of them stumble into the bedroom. Jeremy somehow ended up on the bed with Gavin curled around him. Ryan lay on Gavin’s other side. “Yeah, you’re definitely trapped ‘til morning. Are you ok here? It’s nicer than the couch.”

 

Jeremy had to agree with that. He just nodded at Ryan, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. 

 

He woke slowly. First being aware of how comfortable he was then slowly realizing he wasn’t in his room. There was early morning sunlight streaming through the window which was almost too bright. He was feeling too safe to panic at waking up in an unfamiliar place and it dawned on him that there was a warm weight on his chest that belonged to a sleeping Gavin. Their legs were tangled together and Gavin was more on top of him than on his side. Jeremy’s arm was wrapped around the sleeping man’s back. 

 

Ryan walked into the room. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was wet. Jeremy wondered if the sound of the shower turning off had woken him.

 

“Mornin’! You don’t have to get up yet. Trust me when I tell you that sleepyhead won’t let his heat source out of bed without a fight. Go back to sleep for a bit.” Ryan grabbed clothes from a closet and returned to the bathroom. Jeremy probably dozed off again because the next thing he knew Ryan was back in the room fully dressed. 

 

“I’m going to have to employ you full time to keep Gavin from whining at me in the mornings. I can be so much more productive when I’m not his pillow.” Ryan perched on Jeremy’s side of the bed and placed his hand on Jeremy’s ankle. “Is this ok?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I know Gavin gets really… clingy with the people he cares about. If it ever makes you uncomfortable you can just say something and I’ll get him to tone it down.”

 

“Are you not - doesn’t that…” Jeremy was so flustered he didn’t know which question to ask first. 

 

“I know Gavin loves me. But he has a lot of love to give and you make him feel very safe, he trusts you a lot. If...if we’re reading this wrong and you don’t feel the same way that’s ok. It won’t change anything between us. But if you do… you don’t have to worry about me getting mad or jealous.”

 

“Oh.”  _ Oh. _ That was a lot of information to take in this early in the morning.  _ I guess Gavin was flirting after all _ . 

 

“We were worried we scared you off. If this makes you uncomfortable we’d rather you let us know instead of avoiding us. We value you as a friend too much to be upset that you don’t feel the same way.” 

 

“I’m sorry… I thought you realized and would hate me…”

 

“Realized what?” Ryan was leaning forward, staring at Jeremy intently.

 

“That I really meant it when I was flirting with Gavin.” A look flashed across Ryan’s features, but it was gone before Jeremy could identify it.

 

“Well we did notice. But we could never hate you. You can do more than flirt now...only if you want”

 

Jeremy’s heart was pounding in his chest. He was surprised the sound of it hadn’t woken up Gavin. There were  _ possibilities _ now. But… Ryan hadn’t said how  _ he _ felt about Jeremy. Did this only apply to Gavin? Was he ok with sharing but wasn’t interested in Jeremy that way? Jeremy would be more than happy to act on his feelings towards the Brit, but hiding the feelings he had for Ryan would be even harder now. 

 

“Think about it. We can all talk about it more when Gav wakes up.” With that Ryan patted his knee and left the room. 

 

_ Ok, wow. Not what I was expecting when I woke up this morning. _ So Gavin liked him, which was good. He could maybe date and be romantic with Gavin, which was a really exciting thought. How many times had he pictured kissing those pretty lips? And he  _ could _ now! The only thing better would be if he could also see how it feels to have Ryan’s strong arms wrapped around him, drawing him in for a kiss…

 

But that was being greedy. Him getting to be with Gavin was already so much more than he expected. If Ryan didn’t feel the same then that was fine… well, not fine but he could live with it. And maybe someday Ryan would develop feelings for him too! If he got familiar seeing Jeremy with Gavin…  _ Don’t get ahead of yourself Dooley! _

 

Gavin stirred and buried himself further in the crook of Jeremy’s neck. And because he  _ could _ and he didn’t have to worry about the consequences Jeremy kissed the top of his head. He felt Gavin sigh and then felt lips against his collar bone. He wrapped his arms securely around the skinnier man and buried his face in his hair. Gavin giggled and squeezed him tighter. He had a grin on his face until as he looked up, but when he saw who he was snuggling with he jumped away from Jeremy in surprise.

 

“Wot? Jeremy?”

 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that! Ryan was saying that you-” Jeremy had to cut himself off before embarrassing himself any further. He sat up and started to get out of the bed.

 

“No stay!” He clutched Jeremy’s arm. “I was just surprised. If Ryan said I fancy you then he was right” He said the last part very quietly, refusing to look at Jeremy. “It doesn’t mean you have to do this if you don’t want to…”

 

“I do want to Gav. I’m sorry I ever made you feel like I didn’t… I just didn’t want to come between you and Ryan.”

 

“That’s alright luv, we’ve talked about it.” Gavin’s grin turned predatory. “And we agreed that we  _ do _ want you between us. Very much so.” He leaned forwards and captured Jeremy’s lips. 

 

It was heavenly. Better than Jeremy had expected, in spite of the morning breath. He ran a hand through Gavin’s hair and used the other to pull him close. Gavin moved to sit on his lap and push him back against the headboard. The kiss was passionate and desperate and it didn’t last long enough before Gavin pulled back and whispered in a sultry voice. “Did you and Rye-bread have a cheeky snog while I was still sleeping Jeremy? Normally I’d be grumpy if you woke me up, but letting me sleep through that is just plain rude.”

 

“No? I-he didn’t…”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I didn’t think that he… he never said...” Jeremy was extremely flustered, but Gavin took pity on him. 

 

“What exactly did Ryan tell you Jer?”

 

“He-he said that you care about me and that if I wanted to do more than flirt he wouldn’t be mad…”

 

“He left out a part, luv. If you want to do more than flirt then he wants to  _ join in _ . Is that ok? We’d never pressure you but I know he likes you a lot...”

 

“Oh. Good. Yeah, I want-I want to do this with both of you.”

 

“Well then! I think you owe him a kiss, yeah?”

 

Ryan was busy in the kitchen. Jeremy  sidled up to him and touched his arm to get his attention. When he turned Jeremy reached up to pull him down and stood on his toes. He pressed his lips against the taller man’s and felt him stiffen in shock before wrapping his arms around Jeremy and pulling him tight. It was a wonderful first kiss. The kind you see in the movies. Jeremy pulled away before Ryan. He looked over at Gavin, and sure enough the Lad had filmed the whole thing. 

 

“So I thought about it, I’ve been thinking about it for months. If both of you are interested, then I want in. For as long as you’ll have me.”

 

Gavin came up behind him, he was sandwiched between the two in a big group hug. “Are you sure? ‘Cause I think that will be a very long time.” Ryan sounded nervous.

 

“‘Course I’m sure. You two have been so good to me for months now. I’ve loved every minute that I’ve gotten to spend with you.”

 

“But if you only have feelings for Gavin it’s ok. This isn’t an all or nothing thing, you don’t have to-”

 

“ _ Ryan _ , I don’t just have feelings for Gavin. You aren’t making me do anything I haven’t been dreaming about for months.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah,  _ oh _ . You really had me nervous for a while there, I thought you were telling me only Gavin liked me like that.”

 

“So we’re doing this then?” Gavin spoke up from behind Jeremy. “We’ll all get to go on lovely dates and stuff together?”

 

There is nothing I’d like more.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“That settles it. Now it looks like Ryan’s made pancakes!”

 

Over breakfast they talked about when they first noticed the crush. Jeremy was embarrassed about how early it was for him, telling them about how he only really knew the first morning he had woken up here, but that it certainly started before that. Ryan sheepishly admitted he was completely oblivious until the photoshoot and when Jeremy started avoiding the two of them he blamed himself, thinking Jeremy only had feelings for Gavin and that he scared him away with the kiss. Gavin shocked Jeremy by admitting that his was actually the earliest of all, starting when Jeremy was his nurse back at the bunker. He realized he had so much trust for his caretaker, and would sometimes fantasize about Jeremy taking care of him in a very different way. Jeremy and Ryan both teased him about how he had been watching too much “nurse/patient” porn but Gavin insisted his feelings only grew as he got to know Jeremy better. 

 

They also told Jeremy about how they got together in the first place. It was not nearly as romantic as Jeremy expected. The two had just started hooking up one night after they noticed they both had a hard time sleeping with post-heist jitters. One night became more and eventually feelings got involved. They kept it quiet from the crew for a while, but a lot of money was exchanged when they were eventually caught. That was two years ago. They speculated on who would owe money to who if they were to tell people about their new configuration.

 

“Or would you rather keep it a secret for now? The crew would never judge, you don’t have to worry, even though it  _ is _ an unusual situation.”

 

“Well I think you need to take me on a real date first, but I think it would be better to tell them sooner rather than later.”

 

The first date was dinner in a fancy restaurant. Jeremy loved every minute of it, but his favourite dates were the casual ones, like mini putt or days at the beach.  

 

Some money was exchanged when the trio announced it, but not as many people had suspected as when Gavin and Ryan got together. Surprisingly, the big winner was Matt. Michael and Geoff were outraged, claiming Jeremy had told him, but since that wasn’t the case the money launderer walked away with a cool two grand. Some of that money was used to buy Jeremy what can only be described as an  _ excess _ of condoms and lube as a gag gift, but Jeremy was pretty sure he could find some use for it. Well at least some of it. 

 

One of Jeremy’s favourite dates was when he first took Gavin and Ryan to the free art gallery in Los Santos. They asked him a lot of questions and it was more like giving a guided tour, but they were delighted at how much knowledge he had of the different periods and styles. 

 

Gavin came up beside him after a particularly long rant about how modern art is underappreciated because a lot of people dismiss it as “something anyone can do so why is it worth 5 million dollars?” 

 

“I love seeing you so passionate Jeremy! You just light right up, it’s lovely.” And he gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

 

They continued in the gallery. Jeremy bought sketch pads for them and they parked themselves on a bench to sketch.  They chatted as they worked.

 

“Did you know? Art theft is supposed to be the third most profitable crime world-wide.” Gavin asked.

 

“Is it really?” Jeremy replied. 

 

“Yeah. The list is: guns, drugs, art, human trafficking.”

 

“Well we do the first two. I don’t think anyone in the crew would be interested in human trafficking, but we should get on to this art heist business.” Ryan mused.

 

“If you could steal one painting in this gallery which would it be? I’d want the one with the goat bloke waving his knob around.”

 

“I dunno Gav...I could never steal from this place. Growing up in Boston I went to a free gallery like this a lot, it’s where I learned how to draw so well. Stealing from one would just seem… I guess ungrateful. I don’t want to take anything away from a place that I owe so much to, and I don’t want to take the opportunity to look at and study art the way I did from someone else.”

 

“That is really sweet Jeremy. I would have never thought of it like that. It makes a lot of sense.”

 

They finished their drawings and showed each other. Jeremy’s was an amazing copy of course, he had years of practice. Gavin’s actually wasn’t that bad. He had a good eye for proportion and framing but his shapes were fairly misshapen. Ryan’s looked like a five year old had drawn it, but the other two didn’t tease him as much as they could have. 

 

They framed and hung their drawings in their apartment, right beside the printed out photo Jeremy took of the fateful kiss that had finally spurred them all into action. Jeremy had moved in about two months into their relationship. That was the official date, the three rarely spent a night apart leading up to it. Ryan had to concede to living with a cat, but he adored Tubby Wubbler as much as Gavin and Jeremy. His only worry was that they weren’t home enough to keep him company, but with three of them there was a higher chance that someone would be there. 

 

It was more than Jeremy ever expected to have. He wished he could go back in time and tell his high school self just what was in store for his future. Say that things might sometimes look bleak, but to just follow his heart, try and do the right thing, and eventually things would work out better than he could imagine. 

 

He was so grateful for all of the decisions that had lead him here. 

 

*****

 

Epilogue: Two Years Later

 

Jeremy had done it. He had officially finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts. He wouldn’t walk across the stage and get his expensive piece of paper until June, but he had finished his last exams and was confident that he had passed all his courses. 

 

Ryan and Gavin had been amazingly supportive the entire time. Jeremy felt guilty during the final months and weeks, because he practically abandoned his boyfriends. They never complained when the only time he would talk to them was when he needed help studying or an extra pair of eyes reading his essays. 

 

He was so in love with them. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve two caring and supportive people falling in love with him. They did their best to remind him off all the ways he  _ did _ deserve it and he tried his best to show them how much he appreciated it and tell them all of the little things they did that made him love them in return. He had never been happier. 

 

He had spent the whole day yesterday helping take down the graduating students’ exhibit. Each of them had prepared a work to display to show everything they had learned during their studies. Jeremy loved the variety in his classmates’ styles. 

 

His was in a renaissance style. It looked allegorical, showing the fight between angels and devils, but the figures were all the infamous and recognizable gang members of the most respected gang in Los Santos. The Fakes were the devils, causing chaos in the streets. Mogar’s fires raging around them. The Vagabond loomed in the centre, a figure of death bringing souls to the underworld. The Golden Boy seducing the masses into gambling, drinking, and sin. The Kingpin was portrayed as Lucifer, the iconic mustache he hadn’t worn for years blending well with Satan’s goatee. Jack was a harpy, a winged nightmare. There were other figures, Lindsay was a snake woman, Alfredo and Trevor were twin terrors, Matt, Steffie and others in the Support team were demons. He had painted himself as Rimmy Tim driving a gaudy monster truck in the background. The angels were the police force, and the mayor was God. 

 

Jeremy earned a lot of acclaim his submission. His workmanship looked like it could have come out of the studio of Michelangelo and it was only on a closer look that you realized the figures were holding modern weapons. On top of that it was  _ controversial. _ Jeremy had shown the police as lazy and incompetent, and the Fakes clearly owned the city. It was seen as being a criticism of corruption in the police force and an outcry against the gang violence in the city, but Jeremy and his crew knew it was a celebration of their work. 

 

Ryan and Gavin had informed Jeremy that they had a surprise gift for him for graduation, but he had to wait until today, the day after the exhibit closed, before they would give it to him. He had no idea what it could be, but he knew that they were busy preparing for it when he was occupied with school work. Last night they insisted Jeremy go out with his school friends and celebrate their achievement.

 

Gavin was bouncing out of his seat as they explained that they had the whole day planned. First a trip to their favourite art gallery, then a trip to the beach, and finally dinner and a “quiet” night at home. He would be getting his surprise at some point during the day, but they weren’t going to tell him when, because it was a surprise. 

 

They were walking through the gallery talking about Jeremy’s plans now that he had more time on his hands. They were debating whether Jeremy should start forging art and selling it on the black market. They turned a corner and Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks.

 

“What?!  _ How?!” _

 

On a wall by a corner was  _ his _ painting. It even had a information box beside it making it look like a regular part of the exhibit. He looked around. No one seemed to notice that it wasn’t supposed to be there, a few people walked by and gave it the same appreciative glance they did to all the other works. 

 

“Do you like it? I know you said you would never take anything away from this place, so we decided to add to it instead.” Gavin was all smiles. 

 

“Gavin! Ryan, it is amazing! You did this for me?”

 

The two men hugged him. Ryan kissed the top of his head. Jeremy felt tears in his eyes. It was one thing to see his work displayed in the school’s art gallery with all the other students’ work, but to have something of his  _ here _ looking like it belonged was a dream come true. 

 

“We left our number and instructions on the back to return it to us if they notice and take it down. But we said if they wanted to keep it and display it they could, generously donated by the FAHC. If you want it back though we can steal it again. We’ve broken in once so doing it again should be no problem.”

 

“No, I like it in here. Let’s see how long it takes before they notice. I can always come visit it in the meantime.”

 

It turned out to be not very long at all. An article appeared in the paper about the reverse heist. Jeremy was contacted by the police, who were not happy about the way Jeremy chose to paint them, but he had an airtight alibi for the night of the crime so nothing came of it. 

 

The museum was delighted. The controversy of a gang donating a student painting got a lot more people to visit the gallery and pay the voluntary admission fee. It was also seen as a good story for the guides to tell. Jeremy was invited to a ceremony where they officially accessioned his work into the collection and moved it into a more prominent space in the gallery. They even paid him for his work, but he donated it to his school to give as a bursary to a low-income art student. 

 

Jeremy couldn’t be happier. Officially he worked as a painter, and he did sell a lot of his work, but he made his real income working with the Fakes as a forger. His fakes were a lot more profitable than his originals anyway. He stared heisting more regularly and eventually his purple and orange cars were just as recognizable as the chrome adder, the black and green Roosevelt, and the pink light-up bikes. He lived with his two wonderful boyfriends who he loved with all his heart and who loved him in return and a tubby tabby with a deafening purr. 

 

He didn’t know what the future would hold, but it was looking like it would be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I wrote all those words! This actually turned out way better than I thought. I got to put in all the scenes I wanted and even added a few to make it even better.
> 
> I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. Thank you for everyone who read and commented along the way, you guys are the real MVPs.
> 
> I also want to go on record saying the part with Gavin snuggling kittens was published a week before the Slow Mo Show about kittens, but that is exactly how I pictured that scene looking.

**Author's Note:**

> My very first long fic! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I like writing it! Thank you for all the comments and kudos, everything is appreciated. <3


End file.
